Reggie: The '96 Rover Mini

[flipstah]

Hi twin.  71.gif

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Heat them with a hairdryer first to soften them......

I was using a heat gun, but the wife interrupted me, so I put it off for another day.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

So I tried to install the cork gasket MiniDave sent me, but it almost looks too small for the valve cover. I tried to keep it in place using rtv but it looks like it slipped put of place on the back left side of the cover and it's leaking oil quite badly. Is the gasket too small? Am I doing it wrong? There doesn't seem to be any tricks to it.

[MiniDave]

Maybe it was an old gasket and it shrunk, I'll send you a new one tomorrow - they're cheap as can be down here......I can just put it in an envelope....

Do you have a tin cover or aluminum one? I glue it to the cover first, let the glue set up by laying something heavy on top of the cover and have the gasket on something smooth and flat, then grease the bottom of the gasket (cylinder head side) before I put it on the car....

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I'm not sure which one it is. Is there a way to tell? Looks like the stock one to me. I'm going to call the local shop when they open on monday, see if they have a spare lying around I can pick up.

Also, what kind of grease? I saw someone else post about it as well on TMF, but they never specified what kind of grease.

[MiniDave]

You have the standard tin valve cover (I went back in your thread till I found an engine pic) the covers are all the same..... Sometimes the old cork gaskets can shrink over time as they dry out.....if you prefer I can get you one of the new silicone gaskets but they're a bit spendy - about $15 IIRC, but it won't leak and you'll never have to replace it - your call. They have them in stock at my local Brit Parts place and it's easy to mail it up.

On the cork gaskets I just use any old grease, doesn't really matter what kind, it's just so the gasket doesn't stick to the head. I probably wouldn't use CV joint grease with moly in it, but I'm not sure even that matters.

Edit: Just checked Vicky Brits, they have the silicone gaskets for $12 US.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I'll check with my local shop first. I have to run around anyways. I thought I was going to throw a silicon one in with flipstah's order, but I must've taken it out at sometime. My biggest issue with them is they're open 9-5, Mon-Fri. You know, when I'm at work.

Oh yeah, got the Cosmic MKII's back from powdercoating. I like.


2016-08-04 18.30.02 by Jory Irving, on Flickr

Now if only I could get the front cones to settle so I'm not pointed at the sky.

[flipstah]

Mmmm minty fresh.  4.gif

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Picked up a new gasket from the local mini-shop. Ended up costing $4.95 CAD, but it was fresh, and fit much much better. Put it on last night with some black RTV and I'm letting it sit until tonight. Also cleaned out all the bottles in the backseat (do I really need to carry 12L of oil?) and removed the "alt cover" that was zip tied to the rad support, since the alternator sits much lower now.

Car looks good, but it definitely needs a respray as most of the clearcoat is flaking off the front end. Also, he's still pointing his nose at the sky, like the snooty brit he is.

[MiniDave]

Sorry about that, did you get the tank valve installed OK? You were having trouble with the tubes.....

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Sorry about that, did you get the tank valve installed OK? You were having trouble with the tubes.....

They're not "in" all the way.. the hardlines weren't cooperating, but they're in, and there's no more fuel smell. if they act up, I'll pick up some rubber lines and replace them anyways.

[flipstah]

I'm also getting mine resprayed. Maybe we can get two-for-one.

It's like one car.  :D

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Washed the car today. Did a light spray under the hood while crossing my finger. Car started fine and drove home. After taking the key out, I could hear a relay non stop going "click.... click... click...", but everything worked, no lights were on, and if you put the key to "on" the relay would stop.

Tracked it down to the signal relay, and after unplugging and plugging it back in a few times, it stopped clicking while the car was off. Something I'll ideally be replacing in the short future.

Front cones are still too damn high, and makes the car look like it's pointing at the sky.

[MPlayle]

If the new cones are of the beter quality, they take longer to settle (they also last longer).  Did you also install hi-lo's?  If so, adjust them to lower the front slightly and raise the rear.  It may mean a few weeks of having the car look a bit like it is on tip-toe, but will be more level until the cones start to settle.  Then you re-adjust the hi-lo's to get the ride aspect desired.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

IMG_0039 by Richard Brown, on Flickr

[MPlayle]

From the looks, the rear could use just a slight increase in height and the fronts need a bit more drop.

Do you have a full set of hi-lo's on it?

If so, I would suggest raising the rear 1 full turn (6 flats) of the nut (to lengthen the struts) and lower the front about 1/2 to 1 turn (3 flats to 6 flats).  Be sure to change both sides (left/right) equally.

The front/rear ratios are different and I forget which is which - one is a 1:3 ratio and the other is a 1:5 ratio.  You will not necessarily adjust the fronts the same as the rears.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Full hi-lo's.

The fronts are completely bottomed out. Cannot go lower. The rear is where I wish all 4 corners were.

[MPlayle]

That is quite high for bottomed hi-lo's.  The last one I did was not that high.  It is almost like there is something extra in the mix adding length where it should not.

There are no extra washers in there?  No "doubled" cup for the knuckle joint?

I would still recommend raising the rear slightly to give a slightly more leveled stance and hopefully, the front cones will start settling soon.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

No extra washer, but I did use this knuckle:
http://minispares.com/product/classic/GSV1264.aspx

[MPlayle]

It may be that extra thick shoulder on the knuckle shaft is adding just enough additional length to raise the car.

A bit of "grasping at straws" here:
I know it may sound "stupid", but did you get all of the old plastic cup cleaned out before putting the new knuckle into the suspension arm?  (Extra debris under the cup will also raise it.)

The only other thing I can think of would be if the cones were not seating into the subframe correctly at the top.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

It may be that extra thick shoulder on the knuckle shaft is adding just enough additional length to raise the car.

A bit of "grasping at straws" here:
I know it may sound "stupid", but did you get all of the old plastic cup cleaned out before putting the new knuckle into the suspension arm?  (Extra debris under the cup will also raise it.)

The only other thing I can think of would be if the cones were not seating into the subframe correctly at the top.

Yeah, it's all cleaned out. That was a very frustrating struggle. I've always thought it could potentially be the cones not sitting properly, but I didn't know how to actually check. I stuck my hands up there while putting the cones in, and it "seemed" to be sitting properly, but I have no idea how to actually check. It made putting the upper arms in terrible difficult.

[MPlayle]

Usually, when you put the new cones into the subframe they will only be level if they are sitting correctly on the "seat" of the frame tower.  I would then use the compressor tool to hold them in place and even compress them some to give more room for getting the hi-lo, knuckle joint, and upper arm back in properly.  I tended to put the arm in first, then the hi-lo and knuckle as a single unit.  I would then back off the compression of the cone to release tension, but leave the tool attached to still hold things in place while adjusting the hi-lo.  I have usually had to use a couple of threads on the hi-lo - not completely adjusted in (bottomed out).

Yours is certainly confusing as to why it seems to be staying so high.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Even compressed, I had to put the knuckle/hi-lo in while already attached to the upper arm. There was literally no room to work.

I could rip it apart, but I feel like it'd be repeating work at this point. Also taking the upper arm out is a huge pain.

[MPlayle]

In reading some threads on another forum, there was a link to a part reference that just happened to show a selection of different knuckle joints as the "parts of other interest".

There is a big difference in the thickness of the shoulder on the knuckle joint listed as for "1990 and on" - it is about 3 times as thick as the shoulder for the knuckles listed for earlier Minis!  (Visually, it looks to be about a difference of 1/8".)

Depending on the ratio, that translates to either 3/8" or 5/8" in ride height.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Yeah, that's one of the ones I ordered, that had the build in washer.